Information on data protection
We take data protection and confidentiality very seriously and adhere to the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as current national data protection regulations. Please read this data protection information carefully before submitting a report.
Purpose and legal foundation of the whistleblowing system
The whistleblowing system (BKMS® System) serves for securely and confidentially receiving, processing and managing reports concerning violations of the compliance rules of the HARTING Technology Group companies. The processing of personal data within the framework of BKMS® System is based on the legitimate interest of our company in discovering and preventing abuses and thereby averting damage for the HARTING Technology Group companies, their employees and customers. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Responsible parties
The party responsible for data protection in the whistleblowing system of the HARTING Technology Group is HARTING Stiftung & Co. KG, Marienwerderstrasse 3, 32339 Espelkamp, Germany (hereafter also: “HARTING”). The whistleblowing system is operated by a specialised company, EQS Group GmbH, Bayreuther Str. 35, 10789 Berlin, Germany, on behalf of HARTING. HARTING is supported in legal assessments by Dentons Europe LLB, Markgrafenstrasse 33, 10117 Berlin (hereafter also: “Dentons”).
Reports which are submitted may be processed with the assistance of law firms where necessary.
Personal data and information entered into the whistleblowing system is stored in a database operated by EQS Group GmbH in a high-security data centre. Only HARTING and Dentons have the system access required to see the data. EQS Group GmbH and other third parties do not have access to the data. This is ensured in the certified procedure through extensive technical and organisational measures.
All data are stored encrypted with multiple levels of password protection according to a system of permissions so that access is restricted to a very small selection of expressly authorised persons at HARTING and Dentons.
HARTING has appointed a data protection officer. Inquiries regarding data protection at HARTING can be sent to datasecurity_de@harting.com.
Type of personal data collected
Use of the whistleblowing system takes place on a voluntary basis. If you submit a report via the whistleblowing system, we collect the following personal data and information:
- Your name, if you choose to reveal your identity
- Whether you are an employee of HARTING
- The names and other personal data of persons whom you list in your report, if applicable
Confidential handling of reports
The Compliance organisation of HARTING has retained Dentons Europe LLB, Markgrafenstrasse 33, 10117 Berlin, to carry out legal assessments of incoming reports.
Incoming reports are received by a small selection of expressly authorised and specially trained employees of the compliance organisation of HARTING and are always handled confidentially. The employees of Dentons will evaluate the matter, and HARTING will then perform any further investigation required by the specific case. In individual cases, other law offices may be included in the assessment and investigation.
While processing a report or conducting a special investigation, it may be necessary to share reports with additional employees of HARTING or employees of other group companies, e.g. if the reports refer to incidents in subsidiaries. The latter may be based in countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area with different regulations about the protection of personal data. We will always ensure that the applicable data protection regulations are complied with when sharing reports.
All persons who receive access to the data are obligated to maintain confidentiality.
Information about the accused
We are legally obligated to inform accused parties of any reports received against them as soon as the disclosure of this information no longer jeopardises the investigation. Your identity as a whistleblower will not be disclosed unless we are legally bound to do so.
Rights of the data subjects
Pursuant to European data protection legislation, you and the persons named in the report have a right of access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing and a right to object to the processing of your personal data. If the right to object to the processing of the personal data is exercised, the necessity of the stored data for the examination of a report will be evaluated immediately. Data that is no longer needed will be deleted at once. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority.
Retention period of personal data
Personal data is retained for as long as necessary to clarify the situation and perform a final assessment or for as long as a legitimate interest exists on the part of the company or retention is required by law. After the report processing is concluded, the data will be deleted in accordance with statutory requirements.
Use of the whistleblowing system
Communication between your computer and the whistleblowing system takes place over an encrypted connection (SSL). Your IP address will not be stored during your use of the whistleblowing system. In order to maintain the connection between your computer and BKMS® System, a cookie is stored on your computer that only contains the session ID (session cookie). This cookie is only valid until the end of your session and expires when you close your browser.
It is possible to set up a secured postbox within the whistleblowing system with an individually chosen pseudonym/user name and password. This allows you to send reports to the respectively responsible HARTING or Dentons employee either by name or in an anonymous, safe way. This system only stores data inside the whistleblowing system, which makes it particularly secure. It is not a form of regular email communication.
Note on sending attachments
When submitting a report or an addition, you can simultaneously send attachments to the responsible HARTING or Dentons employee. If you wish to submit an anonymous report, please take note of the following security advice: Files may contain hidden personal data that could jeopardise your anonymity. Please remove all such information before sending a file. If you are unable to remove this data or are uncertain about how to do so, copy the text of your attachment into your report text or send the printed document anonymously to the address listed in the footer, citing the reference number received at the end of the reporting process.
Version: 26/07/2021